Andre Miller played in the NBA for 17 seasons and was remarkably durable as well for a 6’3″ guard. You might have imagined that Miller’s longevity was down to him following a strict regimen and diet, but that’s not the case. Miller spoke about his off-court habits during an appearance on All The Smoke.
“I ate burgers and fries,” Miller said. “I ate pizza, you know what I’m saying? I ate popcorn, and I let my body gain weight in the summer. I didn’t do nothing special. It was just the urge and the hunger to be available in practice, in the games. The three games that I say I missed, two of them were to funerals and one of them was to a hurt ankle, I believe.”
Miller once played 632 games in a row from 2003 to 2010, with the streak only ending due to a suspension. He was pretty much an ironman, which you wouldn’t expect when you consider some of his habits.
Miller was once so reckless that he overdosed on chocolate. He had to be rushed to the emergency room, but managed to come back and play the next game.
As if not eating healthy wasn’t enough, Miller wasn’t a believer in engaging in too many summer workouts either. The 49-year-old shared how he spent his offseasons.
“I come right back home to Los Angeles and it’s barbecues,” Miller stated. “I’m eating. I’mma gain 20 pounds in like four or five days. Straight up, man. But I take like May, June off. And since I’m not tall like y’all, man, I can always pull up. I see some people on the street playing, and just jump in and play some pickup ball.
“But it really picked up once kids started to go back in school in August, and then everybody would go to UCLA,” Miller continued. “Let me get up in here and try to shed some of this weight, which I couldn’t. And then play till Labor Day weekend.”
That was the time Miller would start his “crazy workouts.” He revealed he would run on the side of a freeway after going to a club because he wasn’t a drinker.
Miller found routines that suited him, but would still show up to training camp 10 pounds overweight. He didn’t want to overexert himself because the NBA season was a long grind.
Miller would feature in every single game in 10 of his 17 seasons in the NBA. He played at least 80 games in 14 seasons. Talk about durability.
While Miller was never a star in the NBA, he was a good starting-caliber point guard for a very long time. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for his career, and won an assists title along the way.
Miller also revealed during this episode that he has never been a fan of basketball trainers. He personally never found them to be all that beneficial.
“A lot of respect to the trainers and we all students of the game and we all know the game, but to me, it just don’t translate,” Miller said. “I mean, it’s great. You see them working on moves and bumping into bodies. The one part that I do like about training is the players when they get like four or five guys, and to play defense, and they making moves.”
Miller doesn’t believe the individual sessions are too beneficial, though. He wants players to work on their craft in a five-on-five setting.
“I’m not paying for no trainers,” Miller added. “I’m not paying no guy to train me on some moves.”
Miller, who is currently the head coach of the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League, certainly is quite the character. His way of operating resulted in him having a long and productive career, though.
